Sign For Me
by Ooonicorn
Summary: A seemingly happy couple travelling to their summer home on a remote island come across a young man. Concerned for his health, they invite him to stay with them. It's only when Alexis spends an afternoon with the young man that she realises that he is going to stay longer than anticipated. What will David think? Only time will tell for the trio.
1. Chapter 1

David and Alexis were travelling to their summer home. Ironically, it was poring down with rain and you could barely see anything except... Alexis. She saw a man crumble to the ground on the side of the road as they drove past.

"Stop!" Alexis cried. David objected, as they were already late for the boat to the island. But Alexis persisted. The young man was soaked to the bone and had a deathly cold, so they invited him to stay with them at their home for the night. He objected but Alexis would not take no for an answer. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if he died and she had been in a position to help him but didn't. Finally, he gave in and hopped in the car. When they finally arrived on the Island, they had to tramp up through the bush to get to the house. The shrubbery, left un-attended, had over grown the path and made it difficult to manoeuvre around it. It was still poring with rain and, by the time they finally reached the house, they were all exhausted. David decided that a hot chocolate would be the only thing to make this chilly situation better, so he proceeded to the kitchen to make drinks for them all. Alexis and the young man sat on the couch wrapped up in blankets warming their toes by the fire

"Honey!" cried David, who was rummaging around the kitchen.

They both turned their heads in acknowledgement.

"Where is the sugar?"

"In the cupboard" droned Alexis with an exasperated sigh. As David went to engage the mysterious man in conversation, he turned and found him in a deep sleep. Appalled at the audacity the ignorant man, he moved to wake him up.

"Don't wake him," Alexis hissed. "He needs to sleep."

"What exactly do you propose we do? He could be a fugitive," whispered David angrily. "He could kill us!"

"Oh honestly, David, you're being ridiculous. He's just sleeping," she reasoned.

David huffed and watched as his wife disappeared up the stairs.

Standing down the back of the garden picking wild flowers for David's favourite salad she felt a cold hand creep around her shoulders. She started as they grabbed her, spinning her around. She was about to scream for help when she noticed who her captor was; the young man. She felt herself sink onto a bench seat situated in front the water fall with him. He smiled warmly at her as he brushed a strand of hair from her face. Trailing a soft hand down along her jaw, she shivered at the touch. He lent forward to brush his lips against hers. She chanced a look into his eyes to see if there was any doubt there. Upon closing her eyes, she caught a flicker of movement to the side. David stood there, preparing to swing the axe in his grip.

She awoke with a start with the soft sound of waves crashing on the shore. The purr of her husband's breath next to her and the odd creaks of the well used house. She wiped the cold sweat from her brow. A mantra of 'it was only a dream' ran through her mind. Laying back down she speared a glance at her husband who was sleeping peacefully with a smirk on his face. She went to snuggle into him hoping for a comforting embrace but instead he shifted away from her. "Go away, your too hot." He mumbled. And that was followed with a muffled groan. Alexis was taken aback by this. She felt hurt. She wrapped the covers around her tightly to compensate for the lack of comfort her husband was offering and hoped tomorrow would be a better day. The next day the sun was shining through the curtains, poking her in the eye. Alexis woke, cursed, and rolled over. 'Bloody hell' she thought as she heard laughter emanating from the kitchen. She made her way down the stairs to find her husband and the young man talking closely and smiling

"I see you two are getting along" she smiled.

"Yes, well I...was just telling about what I was planning on doing today and...Maybe you should show him the island dear...or shall we have a game of football...it's a lovely day" he stuttered. Alexis stared at her husband and tilted her head.

"You're acting very odd today dear. Are you feel-"

"I'm fine." He cut her off and proceeded to make himself a coffee.

The room became very tense with a sudden silence but there was a mutual agreement from both parties to dismiss it. The young man finally spoke up.

"You have a lovely home, ma'am."

Alexis looked over to the man, realising he was still in damp clothes, "Oh gosh! Are your clothes still wet? Give them to me, and I will have them washed and dried. David!" She sent to glare at her husband, "Go get him some of your clothes for him to wear."

David started to protest but the look his wife gave him was enough for him to comply without argument.

Alexis waited for the guys to come down but became bored and decided to wait for them to come down in the conservatory overlooking the ocean and garden. As she entered the circular room, she found a beautifully laid table with bacon and eggs, English muffins, pancakes, and fresh fruit in the centre.

"Oh, David," she swooned, calling to her husband. "This is beautiful!"

A puzzled David and the young man entered.

"I didn't do this," he replied coolly, walking over to taste some of the fruit.

They looked over to the young man, who looked sheepish under their gaze.

"I wanted to thank you guys for letting me stay last night, so yeah... Oh, and thanks for the blanket."

"I didn't -"Alexis started to reply but was cut off by her husband

"- I did... I thought you might be cold." And he gave the man a small smile.

"I was. Thanks."

David nodded his head in acknowledgement.

"How lovely, dear," sighed his wife.

They sat down for breakfast, his wife and the young man chatting happily. But David sat quietly, watching how the young man was acting around his wife. Almost flirting whilst he sat there, pretending not to notice. Once breakfast was finished, and the dishes cleaned, the boys decided it would be great to go outside and enjoy the weather whilst they could. As Alexis sat down under the shade umbrella, she watched the men play kicks and practising penalty shots. It was good to see David have another guy to goof around with as her brother Jason had decided to move to Italy with his newlywed wife, Kylie. Alexis thought it would be a good idea to go inside and make refreshments for the guys. They had been playing for over an hour. She, too, was reasonably thirsty.

When she returned she found David and the young man lying on the ground, gasping for breath.

"Well you two look like you've been playing hard. Would you like a drink?" Upon a close inspection of the young man's face she saw that his lips were pink and swollen.

"Oh, God! Are you okay?"

"Ah... I...may have accidently...Kicked him in the face...with the ball." David studied his hands intently looking guilty. The young man looked as if about to pass off the incident but Alexis wouldn't have it.

"David! You don't just hit people in the face," she seethed.

The young man spoke up. "Actually, we were just laughing about it. Honestly, no harm done." And he smiled at her winningly. David nodded in agreement and got up off the ground helping the young man up too.

Alexis smiled, "Would you like me to show you around the island this afternoon? I'm pretty sure David is going to play a round of golf with Elliot, aren't you, dear," she hinted. "...and there is a lovely waterfall on the other side, if you would care to go swimming." A flashback of her dream faulted her smile briefly, but if they noticed, they didn't show it. David disappeared inside to fetch his clubs and missed the conversation about to be had.

"I will pack a picnic and get you some swimming trunks..."

"...Or we could go commando," he winked at her. She stifled a laugh and blushed as they finally went inside.

"What was that?" David asked coming out of the closet with golf gear in tow.

"Nothing, Dear. We are just discussing our afternoon; we are going swimming and having a picnic by the waterfall." She glared at him and brushed her long brown hair off her face before passing her husband, calling over her shoulder, "Have fun at golf, dear. Don't forget the chicken." With that, she went to prepare her date with the mysterious man. She watched David leave from the top bedroom window. 'Maybe I was a bit harsh on him' she thought as she watched her husband leave with a gloomy expression. But as fast as the guilt came, it left, and she went down stairs with the swimming gear in hand.

The young man was sitting on the patio waiting for her; but as she approached him, she found a pained expression on his face.

"All set...what's wrong?" she inquired.

He blushed. "Do you think you could write something for me? I have trouble writing." He looked away, not wanting to see pity in her eyes.

"Sure." she stated and went inside to retrieve a pen and pad. She sat down beside him and put her hand on his knee comfortingly when she came back. She nodded her head for him to begin.

"**_Blackness encroaches on the fringes of the world.  
You just want it to leave you alone; but the internal  
war is over, your decision has been made.  
Blue is consumed by grey; closing your eyes fails.  
It follows you,  
Black staining patches over your life in your ignorance.  
Dulling the pain or reality until the white noise finds a groan.  
It encloses you, corners you...its prey; but then embraces you like an old friend.  
Then you stop struggling...you let go._**"

He pauses to swallow. "And could you just sign your name down the bottom for me and then we can go." She signed her name and looked up. "That's really deep. What's the reason behind it?" He looked away for a moment before she continued, "I don't mean to pry."

The young man gave her a smile that didn't reach his eyes. Silence filled the air around them. He didn't feel like talking about it, but she knew. She saw herself with that same look a few years ago when the depression took over her. But she was saved before it could ensnare her completely. Jason had saved her. She ran inside to grab something to lighten the mood and then joined him on the patio once more. She beamed at him.

"Right. Well shall we get going?"

The young man nodded and they started their journey through the bush.


	2. Chapter 2

They took a slow pace just enjoying the life around them. They walked in silence for a few minutes and it wasn't long before they reached the waterfall. The young man gasped at the sight. The afternoon had given the water an inviting glow that beckoned them. There were several weeping willows surrounding the area to give the air of seclusion. The slightly long grass undulated in the breeze the flow of water created. The water slid over smooth rock into the pool to continue through an outlet to their right. If you were to follow it, in a mere five minutes you would pop out on the beach.

"It's quite beautiful here," he said quietly, "Almost as beautiful as you."

She blushed at the comment. No one had spoken to her like that in years, not even her husband. Their relationship had been strained for a few months now as David had been putting in longer hours at work for a court case he had been working on.

At a light sweep of the water, they found it to be warm and inviting to their fingers. They both agreed to lay out a blanket under a nearby weeping willow. It shaded them from the worst of the sun. They positioned themselves so they could both watch the water tumble. The young man leant back on his hands, placing them unnecessarily close to hers. Alexis looked up as her heart beat faster in anticipation. She knew where she wanted this to head, 'But do I really want to hurt David?' she asked herself. She had her answer when the young man placed his hand gently over hers and she didn't pull back. She didn't want to pull away but she leant forward anyways and grabbed out her surprise.

"Look what I've got," she smirked. The man's eyes widened as he smiled at her appreciatively. Alexis took a swig of Vodka and passed it him, "Might as well, got t' drink it sometime." She smiled sadly before adding, "And it's not like David ever has any fun."

He replied with an awkward glance to the side. "Let's not talk about David. This is your afternoon of fun."

And with that, as if to support his comment he promptly stripped off his clothes revealing the swimming trunks underneath and sprinted to the water. Alexis jumped up to join him, disregarding her own clothes in process. After taking one last large gulp of vodka, she turned around to face him. He stood watching the water. A flicker of mischief crossed her mind as she snuck up behind him and gave him a shove. His arms flailed about as he tried to grab on to the non existing supports and fell into the water. Alexis doubled over with laughter as he rose to the surface.

"Yip, you're defiantly right. Afternoon of fun," she choked out, trying to regain some composure. He snorted at her comment, and then looked up at her seriously.

"Oh. You're going to regret that, my dear," he said dangerously and started to swim to the bank, but as he stood he cried out in pain.

"Oh my God! Are you okay?" she cried creeping closer to edge for further inspection. She held out a hand to help the man out of the water but as she did, he chose that moment pull her into the water. She let out a delightful shriek as he pulled her body against his. She felt his muscles against her as he wrapped his arms around her waist. Unbeknown to her, she held her breath. He slowly trailed a finger down her face tracing her jaw and grabbing her chin before closing the distance between them with a kiss. When he pulled away from her, she gasped and finally sighed out the breath she had been holding. He smiled at her before whispering in her ear.

"We should probably have some lunch now," she nodded and he began swimming back to shore. She shook herself mentally, 'get a hold of yourself woman' before also making her way to shore. The young man had already begun taking out some sandwiches and was munching on an apple when she reached the blanket. They sat and ate in silence and after awhile the young man lay down and shut his eyes.

"Are you tired?"

"Mmm, just a bit. As much as I loved sleeping on your couch this is much more comfortable"

"Was that sarcasm I detect?" she laughed and playfully swatted him on the arm.

"Hey!" he protested "careful. Or I shall have to be evil and throw you back in the water!" he smirked at her and went back went back to his nap. When she was convinced that he was asleep, she rolled over to him and studied his face. The sun was giving his skin a soft glow and casting shadows defining his strong jaw line and making his cheek bones stand out.' He is handsome' she thought and went to touch his jaw. As she traced his face lightly with her finger as he had done previously today, his eyes fluttered open. She scolded herself and pulled back her hand.

"I'm sorry" she mumbled and blushed as she turned her head to look away.

"It's fine, really," he smiled, pulled her towards him and pecked her on the lips. "But your husband will be home soon, won't he? So...we should probably get back."

She agreed over enthusiastically which she regretted later and they packed up their stuff slowly. Once everything was packed, they started for the house. The young man followed her up to the house, always one step behind her as to not make it look conspicuous if ever her husband should find them. All though they were trying to be subtle, she felt the man's presence close behind her. They stopped short of exiting the bush and she felt him press up behind her. She leant back into him, relishing in his warm embrace and shuddered at the contact between them.

"Alexis, Darling! Where are you?" she heard her husband yell. She pulled away from him and staggered to greet David; the alcohol still circulating around her body and dulling her senses.

"Hello, Dear."

"I've been looking for you for ages!" He looked between her and the young man, seeing traces of guilt in her eyes. David studied his wife intently; she was looking everywhere but his eyes.

"Alexis..." she looked up at him, quickly collected her thoughts and smiled.

"Yes, sweetheart?" she replied innocently. He cocked an eyebrow.

"Nothing of importance...I got the chicken for dinner. Shall I get started?"

"Yes." She dismissed him half-heartedly and walked up to the house.

"Ah...is everything okay with you n' Alexis?" He nodded and followed in his wife's path.

They found her in the kitchen making a salad. "Honey" David asked with a tight smile. "I thought I was going to make dinner?"

"Yes. Well I thought you would appreciate me helping you by making a salad" Alexis replied with an equally forced smile. The young man just stood there between the two glaring people looking very uncomfortable. The tension in the air hung like fog. He cleared his throat and the couple started and stared at him.

"Sorry, where are our manners. Would you like to have a shower?" The young man nodded and followed Alexis into the bathroom. She handed him a towel and retreated back to the kitchen to talk to her Dear husband. She scoffed, 'Dear husband indeed. He's been acting like such a bastard lately'.

"Alexis, I would like to have a word with you." As she entered, she saw David sitting at the table, arms crossed as he looked straight ahead.

"What" she snapped.

"I want him gone" he demanded. She stilled. Did he know what had happened that afternoon? 'No' she assured herself, 'he was at golf with Elliot, he wouldn't know,' but she would have to be careful. She wouldn't want David to start getting curious and start snooping around. 'But I haven't done anything wrong' she thought, 'just a couple of kisses between friends. It means nothing.' And she turned to face him.

"And why, pray tell, do you want that?" she didn't want to lose whatever may spring up between her and the mysterious young man.

"Because he is a nuisance," David replied, "How exactly are we supposed to support a fully grown man who has no money, no job, and therefore will not be able to pay us back?" Lisa looked her husband in the eye and rounded the table to stand before him.

"We have lots of money David and you know it! You are a bloody lawyer and you have your inheritance, for Christ's sakes. I've got money too, so it doesn't matter. We have the chance to help someone and you're just going to kick him out?" by now she was infuriated. Neither one of them had noticed the young man enter until he spoke up

"I can leave if you want," he stated, looking David solemnly in the eye. David cringed and Lisa stared at him curiously, as the man stood there in only a towel; Hair dripping and messed. "No." she stated, "We have a guest room, and you can stay in there." She smiled at him warmly, ignoring her husband entirely. She started walking out the door saying, "I will get you some clothes of David's for you to wear-", but stopped half way before asking, "What exactly is your name?"

"Daniel" he replied and went to finish up washing.

She walked into the guest room, not yet used, and made the proper preparations for Daniels stay. She opened the window overlooking the ocean to let in the warm breeze. 'It really was a lovely day' she thought, 'To bad David was dampening it with his rotten mood'. She laid some clothes on the end of the bed, along with an extra towel and some more blankets, in case the night became cold. Daniel entered the room just as Alexis was about to leave.

"Hi." He smiled at her cheekily. She blushed when she realised he was barely clothed. A towel wrapped around his waist, yet again the moisture from the shower clinging to his skin and reflecting the light.

"Ugh... Hi" she stammered. Daniel winked at her and stepped closer. Alexis staggered back, bumping into the door frame. Daniel took a step closer to her brushing up against her making every nerve ending tingle at the touch. He lent in closer brushing his lips against her ear.

"I just wanted to thank you for everything you've done for me. This room, the food and... Keeping me entertained today" in a low seductive voice.

"Mmmph," she whimpered, not trusting her own voice and shuddered, nearly let out a moan as she felt him sucking on her ear lobe. She pulled back abruptly as she heard noises down below and her name being called. She gave one last look at the barely clothed man before journeying downstairs. 'What am I doing?' Alexis mentally shook herself 'My husband is down the hall and as much as he annoys the hell out of me, I still love him'. She entered the lounge to find her irritable husband sitting in His chair, glaring at the outside world. 'Maybe not' she huffed and proceeded to sit down.

"I heard noises upstairs. Are you alright?" he asked. Alexis turned bright red.

"I ugh...kicked my foot on the side of the chess draws in the guest room, very silly of me I know" and gave a fake laugh as to make light of the situation.

"Indeed" agreed her husband and mumbled something under his breath she couldn't quite catch.

They sat in a strained silence for a few minutes before both attempting to make light conversation.

"So...how was your picnic?" David asked. Alexis looked up at this oddly before replying.

"Fine. How was Elliot?"

"Good."


End file.
